â€œSlutâ€ (2014): Terror Stalks a Small-Town Girl in This Pitch-Perfect Horror Short

One of the most sensational horror cinema experiences I have had in many months was watching the seventies-set shocker Slut at the Scream Queen Filmfest Tokyo tour event in Nagoya, Japan, in February. What amazed me even more is that this short film is a debut for its writer/director, Chloe Okuno, because it has the airÂ of a seasoned auteur behind it. Some horror shorts try to pull off the feel of a full-length film in a shorter amount of time to varying degrees of success, but Slut indeed feels likeÂ a feature-length story in a mere 18.5 minutes that seem to fly by.Socially awkward Maddy (Molly McIntyre) is dressed in frumpy clothes at her small-town roller rink and draws snickers and giggles from the other teenagersÂ there. Jolee (Kasia Pilewicz) is her openly flirtatious and provocatively clothed opposite. After tripping on her own feet, Maddy is consoled by a somewhatÂ older man (James Gallo) who is a stranger inÂ town. He asks Maddy if he can tell her a secret: He thinks she is better than Jolee because Maddy is a nice girl.All the guys in town have their eye onÂ Jolee (Kasia Pilewicz), including a mysterious stranger.As Maddy leaves the rink, she sees the stranger smoking. She opens her mouth to speak to him but suddenly Jolee shows up and she and the man leave together. Disappointed, Maddy heads home.Itâ€™s all for the best for Maddy – for the time being, at least – because it turns out that the stranger is a sociopath who detests easy marks. While he takes his hatred out on Jolee, Maddy begins the first stage of reinventing herself as a girl who walks on the wild side – a move that will garner favor with a local boy but, at the same time, draw the ire of the dangerous stranger. An obvious stranger (James Gallo) in a small town attractsÂ the attention of both shy, awkward Maddy (Molly McIntyre) and the flirtatious Jolee.Writer/director Chloe Okuno and her crew hit an absolute grand slam with Slut, which is an AFI thesis film produced by Lisa Gollobin. The story starts out with familiar elements including overtones of Little Red Riding Hood, The Ugly Duckling, and classic psycho-on-the-road genre film fare, but heads to unexpected places. The short has a bold originality all its own. Its moments of tension are palpable and it has a superb undercurrent of wicked humor running through it. Slutâ€™s climactic set piece left me practically breathless as those two elements jelled flawlessly. Okuno has a keen feel for tension and a marvelous eye for framing. The lead performances from Molly McIntyre and James Gallo are absolutely top notch. The character of Maddy Â goes through distinct personality changes and McIntyre shines in them all. Gallo is terrific as the charming stranger with a dark side. The rest of the cast acquits itself well, too, including Kasia Pilewicz as Jolee and Cody Beverstock as Brian, a local boy who is more than willing to help Maddy shed her good-girl reputation.Maddy (Molly McIntyre) has no idea that a physical makeover will lead her to finding sides of herself she never knew existed, including when she experiences a terrifying confrontation.The filmâ€™s 1970s aesthetic captures the era splendidly, with hair, makeup, and sets that look authentic without overdoing things. Production designer Yihong Ding and everyone involved with putting together the set for the house that Maddy shares with her grandmother (Sally Kirkland) – with its cracked floorboards, peeling wallpaper, and period furniture – outdid themselves.Cinematographer Benjamin Kirk Nielsen captures the events with considerableÂ skill, and on good old film stock, to boot. Michael Blockâ€™s editing is sterling, as well. Darren Morzeâ€™s score has some wonderful moments including the recurring music during some especially tense scenes. Thereâ€™s also a nifty musical transition from Audie Henryâ€™s country songs to some distorted guitar rock riffage when Maddy changes her style.James Gallo gives a riveting performance as a sociopath who seeks out girls who he considers morally flawed.Itâ€™s hard for me to find fault with Slut (slutthefilm.com) that isnâ€™t just the most minor of quibbling. When a horror film with this much verve, energy, and fun rolls around, it is a rare thing indeed and something to be celebrated. I donâ€™t hand out perfect scores lightly;Â Chloe Okunoâ€™s debut unequivocally deserves the highest rating I can give it. I predict big things for all of the talent involved with Slut and urge horror movie fans to seek it out.Slut: (5 / 5)

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Joseph Perry fell in love with horror films as a preschooler when he first saw the Gill-Man swim across the TV screen in "The Creature from The Black Lagoon" and Mothra battle Godzilla in "Godzilla Vs. The Thing.” His education in fright fare continued with TV series such as "The Twilight Zone" and "Outer Limits," along with legendary northern California horror host Bob Wilkins’ "Creature Features." His love for silver age and golden age comic books, including horror titles from Gold Key, Dell, and Marvel started around age 5. He is a contributing writer for Gruesome Magazine, "Phantom of the Movies VideoScope" magazine, "Diabolique" magazine, and the websites That's Not Current, The Scariest Things, and When It Was Cool. He is a co-host of the "Decades of Horror: The Classic Era" and "Uphill Both Ways" podcasts. Joseph has also written for “Scream” magazine, "Filmfax" magazine, “SQ Horror” magazine, and HorrorNews.net. He occasionally proudly co-writies articles with his son Cohen Perry, who is a film critic in his own right. A former northern Californian and Oregonian, Joseph has been teaching, writing, and living in South Korea since 2008.

Joseph Perry fell in love with horror films as a preschooler when he first saw the Gill-Man swim across the TV screen in "The Creature from The Black Lagoon" and Mothra battle Godzilla in "Godzilla Vs. The Thing.” His education in fright fare continued with TV series such as "The Twilight Zone" and "Outer Limits," along with legendary northern California horror host Bob Wilkins’ "Creature Features." His love for silver age and golden age comic books, including horror titles from Gold Key, Dell, and Marvel started around age 5. He is a contributing writer for Gruesome Magazine, "Phantom of the Movies VideoScope" magazine, "Diabolique" magazine, and the websites That's Not Current, The Scariest Things, and When It Was Cool. He is a co-host of the "Decades of Horror: The Classic Era" and "Uphill Both Ways" podcasts. Joseph has also written for “Scream” magazine, "Filmfax" magazine, “SQ Horror” magazine, and HorrorNews.net. He occasionally proudly co-writies articles with his son Cohen Perry, who is a film critic in his own right. A former northern Californian and Oregonian, Joseph has been teaching, writing, and living in South Korea since 2008.

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